Ṭālib (may Allah be pleased with him). I said, “Commander of the Believers, I have just passed by a group of your followers who were speaking of Abū Bakr and ʿUmar in a way that is unbefitting their rank. Had they not supposed that you harbor the same feelings toward them that they expressed openly, they would never have dared to do so.”
ʿAlī replied, “I seek refuge in Allah from concealing toward them anything but the finest goodwill. May Allah curse whoever harbors toward them anything other than what is good and beautiful. They are the Messenger of Allah’s brothers, his companions, and his two ministers—may Allah’s mercy be upon them.”
He then rose, tears welling in his eyes, weeping as he gripped my hand until we entered the mosque. He ascended the pulpit, sat firmly upon it, clasped his white beard and gazed at it until the people had gathered. Then he stood, pronounced a concise yet eloquent sermon, and said:
“What is the matter with people who speak of the two lords of Quraysh, the fathers of the Muslims, in a manner from which I am utterly free, innocent of what they say, and on account of which they will be punished? By Him who splits the seed and gives life, none loves them but a pious believer, and none hates them but a wicked reprobate. They accompanied the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with loyalty and truthfulness: they commanded and forbade, judged and punished, and never went beyond the opinion of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ considered no one’s view equal to theirs, nor did he love anyone as he loved them. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ departed this life well pleased with them, and they too departed while the believers were pleased with them.
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ appointed Abū Bakr to lead the believers in prayer, and he led them for 9 days during the Prophet’s lifetime. When Allah took His Prophet unto Himself and chose for him what is with Him, the believers entrusted that office to Abū Bakr and pledged allegiance to him willingly, not reluctantly. I was the first of the Banū ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib to institute that pledge, while he himself disliked it, wishing that one of us would relieve him of the burden. By Allah, he was the best of those who remained, the most compassionate, the kindest, the most scrupulous, the eldest in age and the earliest to embrace Islam. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ likened him to Michael in mercy and to Abraham in forbearance and dignity. He conducted our affairs exactly as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had done until he departed this world upon that—may Allah have mercy on him.
“Then after him the authority passed to ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him). He consulted the Muslims about it, and among them …”